Recently, I came across a recipe for beef lettuce wraps with wowee sauce. This sounded delicious and seemed like a great prospect for one of our challenging wine pairings. Seasoned ground beef topped with shredded carrots and sliced water chestnuts garnished with wowee sauce was fabulous wrapped in the Boston lettuce leaves. Wowee sauce is a blend of crushed pineapple, orange marmalade, and soy sauce. Additional sauce was served for individual preference. We rounded out the meal with Szechwan green beans and fried rice. The meal tasted wonderful and looked great on the plate as well.

Since we were eating beef, we decided to try two different varieties of red wine to see which paired the best. We enjoyed the 2009 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah and the 2008 Watermill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Both wines were very good; however, the consensus favorite both before dinner and paired with the meal was the Syrah.

We’d love for you to share in the comments what you would have paired with this meal. And, as always, we welcome your suggestions for challenging wine pairings for us to try in the future.

Bon Appétit!

2009 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah (Columbia Valley): Deep, dark purple. Aromatic with dark black licorice, black fruits, spice, and a touch of oak on the nose. Very vibrant fruit, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, licorice, spice, and a hint of leather come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity, and medium to high, silky tannins. Well-balanced with good complexity and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery, $24; Available elsewhere, $22 to $33

2008 Watermill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (Walla Walla Valley): Dark, dense red. Nose is a bit tight at first, and then oak and earth aromas come through. Very jammy on the palate with loads of blackcurrant and black cherry. Medium to full-bodied and lively with medium to high tannins and a long, viscous finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Winery $29.75; Available elsewhere, $37

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is corked.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Corked is the pejorative tasting term for a wine spoiled by a cork stopper contaminated with cork taint. This is one of the most serious wine faults as in most cases it irrevocably imbues the wine with such a powerfully off-putting smell that it cannot be drunk with any enjoyment. ….

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Corked is the term used to describe a wine that has been spoiled by cork taint. Cork taint is most often recognized by the smell of wet cardboard when you sniff the wine. A wine that is corked is essentially ruined. Some experts contend that as many as five percent of all wine bottles opened are flawed by a tainted cork. This fact has led many in the industry to pursue alternative closures such as screwcaps and glass stoppers.

Cadaretta, located in Walla Walla, Washington, is owned and operated by the Middleton family. The Middleton family has a long history in Washington State. They started the Anderson & Middleton forestry products company in Hoquiam, Washington, in 1898. In fact, Cadaretta is named for a ship that once carried their goods to market. The family diversified into wine grapes in California over 20 years ago. They brought their grape and wine experience back to Washington with the founding of Cadaretta in 2005.

Executive winemaker Larry Cherubino of Australia directs winemaking, vineyard selection, and cultural practices for Cadaretta. Brian Rudin is Cadaretta’s resident winemaker who focuses his efforts on the day-to-day winery operations.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2010 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend in a blind samples tasting. Both wines are excellent, and the Cabernet Sauvignon delivers serious bang for your buck.

2007 Cadaretta Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 2% Petit Verdot, and 2% Cabernet Franc. Deep, dark ruby red. Gorgeous nose with blackcurrant and cinnamon aromas. Blackcurrant, black cherry, cinnamon, and dark chocolate come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high, smooth tannins. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $40; Available elsewhere, $24 to $40

2010 Cadaretta SBS Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon (Columbia Valley, Washington): 75% Sauvignon Blanc and 25% Semillon. Very pale straw yellow. Nice nose with white peach and apricot aromas. More apricot and white peach as well as lemon come through on the palate. Dry and medium-bodied with crisp acidity. Well-balanced with good complexity and a long, lingering finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $23; Available elsewhere, $19 to $25

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2009 Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Columbia Crest, located in Paterson, Washington, has been one of our favorite sources of value wines for many years. Last year, Juan Munoz Oca took over as head winemaker from Ray Einberger. Einberger had been at the helm since 2002 when he took the reins from Doug Gore who had been the winemaker since Columbia Crest was founded in 1983. The Columbia Crest winemaking team has produced more 90+ scoring bottles of wine than any other winery in the world. For those of us who live in Washington State, it is nice to have such a consistent, affordable producer in our own backyard.

“Strawberry, cherry and cola aromas and flavors harmoniously flow into the silky and soft palate that culminates into a long velvety finish.” –Winemaker Juan Munoz Oca

2009 Columbia Crest Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State): Deep ruby red. Aromatic with blackberry, black cherry, strawberry, Red Vines, and a hint of oak come through on the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity, medium to high, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Fred Meyer (Seattle, Washington), $6.99; Available elsewhere, $6 to $10

Founded in 1997 by businessman Terry Peabody and Master of Wine Steve Smith, Craggy Range is located in Hawkes Bay on the North Island of New Zealand. Together, Terry and Steve purchased vineyard land, forged partnerships with top grape growers, and chose the location for their winery and fine-dining restaurant, Terroir. Since the beginning, their goal has been to produce quality single-vineyard wines that are an expression of the vineyard’s terroir. Craggy Range is very much a family business with both men’s families playing important roles.

Recently, we had the opportunity to taste their 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and 2011 Chardonnay in a blind samples tasting. While we enjoyed both wines, we thought that the Sauvignon Blanc was excellent. Craggy Range wines are imported by Kobrand Corporation and are distributed nationally.

The Sauvignon Blanc is sourced from Te Muna Road Vineyard in the Martinborough region of New Zealand. Martinborough enjoys a cool climate that is ideal for growing Sauvignon Blanc. The Chardonnay is sourced from Kidnappers Vineyard in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand. Located on the Hawkes Bay coastline, this vineyard enjoys warm and sunny weather in the spring and fall and the summer weather is tempered by the cooling sea breeze.

2011 Craggy Range Te Muna Road Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (Martinborough, New Zealand): Pale straw yellow. Aromatic with grapefruit, grass, and lime on both the nose and palate. Dry and medium-bodied with tart acidity. Well-balanced with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $21.99; Available elsewhere, $15 to $24

2011 Craggy Range Kidnappers Vineyard Chardonnay (Hawkes Bay, New Zealand): Very pale straw yellow. Hay and oak come through on the nose; lemon and apple on the palate. Dry and light to medium-bodied with lively acidity and a long finish.
Quality: 3 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $21.99; Available elsewhere, $14 to $25

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is corkage.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
Corkage is the charge customarily levied in a restaurant for each bottle of wine brought in and consumed on the premises rather than bought from the restaurant’s own selection. The term is derived from the fact that the number of corks pulled represents the number of bottles consumed. There is considerable variation in the amount charged, and the grace with which the practice is accepted.

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Corkage is the fee charged by a restaurant when a patron brings in their own bottle to consume instead of ordering off of the restaurant’s wine list. Whether the practice is allowed and if so, the amount charged, varies from restaurant to restaurant. Be sure to call ahead before bringing a bottle to a restaurant to verify their policies. Even for restaurants that allow patrons to bring their own wine, only wines that are not already on the restaurant’s wine list will be allowed.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today’s post is part of a series featuring the Women of Washington Wine. In an industry once dominated by men, more and more women are joining the ranks as winery owners, vineyard owners, and winemakers. Being a woman myself, I am fascinated by these women and what they have done and continue to do. Through this series, I hope to introduce you to some of the brightest female faces in the Washington wine industry.

Founded in 2005 in Sunnyside, Washington, by Tom and Susan Garrison and Mike and Gabrielle Seibel, Steppe Cellars is a partnership between two sisters and their husbands. They had been growing grapes for over 20 years and decided to open their own winery. Steppe Cellars is named for the shrub steppe environment that surrounds the winery. Winemaker Anke Freimuth-Wildman, a native of Germany, grew up in the Mosel Valley, studied viticulture and enology at Geisenheim Institute, and has gained valuable winemaking experience working in Germany, Switzerland, and Washington State.

Recently, Anke was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to answer some questions for me and our Wine Peeps readers.

Highlights from Q&A with Anke Freimuth-Wildman:

How did you first get involved in the wine business?
I grew up in Germany on the Mosel River where my family owns vineyards and a winery. As a kid, I helped in the vineyard, tasting room and cellar. I loved the work, the beauty of the Mosel region and everything that had to do with winemaking. My parents encouraged me to pursue this as a career in order to continue the family business.

What were the steps that led you to where you are now?
After high school, I enrolled in the Viticulture and Enology program at the Geisenheim Institute on the Rhein River. There, in 1981, Dr. Helmut Becker introduced me to Dr. Walter Clore and his wife Irene who were touring the German wine country at the time. Walt and Irene invited me to Washington State to stay with them while I was doing an internship with Dr. Sara Spayd at the WSU Experiment Station in Prosser. When the internship was over, I returned to Germany and finished my degree. In 1990, I came back to Prosser and landed a job as a winemaker at The Hogue Cellars, and worked there until 1995. I learned a lot there! Then, I took a few years off to raise my children while working temporary lab jobs during crush at a few local wineries. Consulting jobs started coming my way after that, and finally in 2005, I was asked by Steppe Cellars to be their winemaker.

Has being a woman been an advantage or disadvantage in your journey?
Coming right out of college with a degree in Viticulture and Enology, it was difficult to be accepted as a woman winemaker in the German wine industry in those days. Actually, it was close to impossible and not much fun. The cellar was the proud domain of the men. That helped make the decision to come back to Washington very attractive. Women were treated more as equals here in the Washington wine business than in Germany, and the possibilities for a career in the wine industry seemed much better. The openness and free exchange of information among fellow winemakers and people in the Washington industry in general made for an amazing experience. Things have changed for the better in Germany since those days. When I started, it was a disadvantage as a female to try and become a winemaker. Now, it doesn’t matter.

What advice do you have for women getting in the wine business today?
Basically, the same as it would be for anyone of either sex. Get a good education with strong foundations in microbiology, chemistry, and also in marketing. Whether it’s a formal degree or through some of the other great programs available now, education is the key. Try to get a lot of hands-on experience by working in different wineries. Taste lots of wines!

What are your thoughts about the Washington wine industry in general?
It’s a great business to be in, and Washington is a great place to be in it. In my view, Washington State has the potential to become one of the greatest wine regions in the world. In fact, I think that it already is! Where else in the world can you grow so many different wine grape varieties and make world-class wines from all of them?

In recent years the Washington wine industry has grown at a rapid rate. Do you expect that trend to continue?
Why not? As long as great wines are being made and there are enough people who like to drink them and appreciate them, there is still room to grow.

What is your vision for the future of Steppe Cellars?
I think the future is very bright. Steppe Cellars is a small family-owned business and will most likely and proudly remain so in the near future. We make just 1500 cases. We want to continue to make the kind of wine we like to drink ourselves. I’m glad that other people seem to like it too!

Feel free to share any thoughts that you think would be of interest to our readers.
I feel lucky to enjoy a flexible schedule. I’m able to do all kinds of things at home, including working on blends at my kitchen table if I want to! My husband, Tedd Wildman, who I met at the Experiment Station in Prosser all those years ago, and I have three teenage kids, James, Ben, and Becky. He established StoneTree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope in 2000. That vineyard has earned quite a good reputation over the years, and I’m happy that he supplies Steppe Cellars with most of our red grapes. It takes good grapes to make good wine! And, although I make lots of wines from different varieties, I still enjoy a good German-style Riesling!

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Many thanks to Anke for sharing her story and thoughts with us. I wish her all the best and look forward to following her work and Steppe Cellars with great interest, and I hope that you will too.

(Photos from Steppe Cellars)

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2011 Frisk Prickly Riesling from the Alpine Valleys region of Victoria in Australia.

Our selection criteria include:

• A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
• A price tag of <=$15
• Must be widely available

Nestled in the Northern foothills of the Victorian Alps, the Alpine Valleys is home to grape growers whose ancestors arrived in the 1850s after a less-than-comfortable boat trip from Italy. A team of seasoned winemakers who ferment free-run Riesling juice with yeasts that produce a gentle spritz makes Frisk Prickly Riesling.

“It’s normally pretty darned cool in the Alpine Valleys, but 2011 took the mercury to new lows. Grapes were harvested up to 4 weeks later than usual, and yields were particularly low—near ideal conditions for our cold-lovin’ Riesling fruit! You’ll see intoxicating floral aromatics and vivacious citrus fruits, with great persistence and concentration of flavor. Racy and versatile, it’ll pair perfectly with sweet and spicy dishes alike.” –Frisk Wines

2011 Frisk Prickly Riesling (Alpine Valleys, Victoria, Australia): 89% Riesling and 11% Muscat Gordo. Very pale straw yellow. Nice nose with white peach and orange blossom aromas. More white peach and orange blossom as well as pear comes through on the palate. Off-dry and light to medium-bodied with crisp acidity and a long finish. Residual Sugar: 3.6%
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $11; Available elsewhere, $8 to $15

Today marks our 1,000th post here on Wine Peeps. That means that we have averaged 245 posts per year or 4.71 posts per week. Folks, that’s a lot of writing, mostly by Kori, and we hope it has provided a great source of wine-related info for you.

True to our mission, there have been 433 posts featuring Washington State wines and 367 posts that gave you at least one great QPR (5 bangs for your buck) wine.

Our audience has continued to grow as we not only have hundreds of email subscribers and RSS subscribers, but almost 3,000 Facebook likes and 3,500+ Twitter followers as well as a presence on Open Wine Consortium and LinkedIn.

We’ve had 117 A Wine For Tonight posts recommending a very good wine that sells for $15 or less and is widely available. Last month, we hosted our 102nd Wine Tasting Dinner, where we taste and report on six wines with a common theme that are blind tasted with one of LaGayle’s fabulous meals.

For you to get the most effective and efficient use of the info from these 1,000 posts, let me call your special attention to the “Search” box in the upper right hand corner of the Wine Peeps homepage, and the listing of “Categories” a little further down the right side of the homepage. Both of those features offer great ways to find all of our posts on a specific topic.

We are always looking for ways to improve what we do on Wine Peeps. Please tell us how you believe we can do a better job of giving you the info you want on wine, especially great QPR wines and wines from Washington State.

Cheers!

(Photo by MGM_Photos)

This week’s Wine Word of the Week is vintage.

Official definition from Jancis Robinson’s The Oxford Companion to Wine:
The vintage year is the year in which a wine was produced and the characteristics of that year. … In the southern hemisphere, a vintage-dated wine invariably carries the year in which the grapes were picked, even though much of the vine growth cycle was actually in the previous year. In the northern hemisphere, vintage-dated wines carry the year in which both the vine growth occurred and the grapes were picked….

Layman’s terms from Kori:
Vintage is the year printed on a wine bottle’s label and indicates the year in which the grapes were picked. It is important to note a wine’s vintage since the quality of wines, even from the same producer, can vary year to year (i.e. a 2005 XYZ Merlot is a different wine than a 2006 XYZ Merlot). A wine that does not list a vintage on the label is considered non-vintage and is a blend of grapes from different years.